Mac Forbes New arrivals
About
In creating Mac Forbes Wines back in 2004, there was a clear purpose to better understand and connect with where I am from. The more I have discovered over the years, the more I realise there still is to learn. Today, we are driven by curiosity and a passion for the nuances of this unique place. In each bottle of wine we offer a small snapshot of our evolving understanding of the Yarra Valley, and hope that through sharing these wines you will find joy and excitement in the stories they tell.
2021 Yarra Valley Releases
The Yarra Valley label is the entry into our Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. ʻYarra Valleyʼ is a blend of declassified barrels from our grower vineyards and the Mac Forbes single vineyard sites. They represent a snapshot from across the valley and our vineyards. Generally, they can be enjoyed young but cellaring will reward with increased complexity.
2021 Yarra Valley Chardonnay
Pale lemon. Bright green apple, lemon pith and juice, jasmine and white peach on the nose. Slightly salty.
High acid, medium-light body, chalky phenolics. More crunchy white peach, lemon juice and pith on the palate. Green apple with bright squeaky clean acid gives focus and length complemented by a faint cream cheese lees note.
We recommend serving this wine between 10-15 degrees.
Vintage Conditions:
A stunning vintage with near perfect conditions during flowering and fruit set. Good rainfall over winter built strong reserves of soil moisture, and the long cool growing season allowed for slow and evening ripening across key varieties. The 2021 vintage was one of the very rare years where we saw both quality and quantity of fruit.
Wine Analysis:
Alc/Vol: 11.5% | Acidity: 7.5g/L | pH: 3.17
Vineyard:
The Yarra Valley Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from grower vineyards and properties that we farm across both the upper Yarra and Valley floor.
Winemaking
Fruit: Destemmed and crushed before pressing
Fermentation: Old barriques on fine solids
Maturation: 11 months in old large and small format oak
Yeast: Indigenous
Fining: None
Filtration: Sterile
Bottled: 15th February 2022
2021 Yarra Valley Pinot Noir
Medium to light body with a medium to high acidity, fine grippy tannin. Tart blackberry, sour red cherry, dried rose, cranberry red plum grantive top pallet freshness, slatey, good length. We recommend serving this wine between 14-16 degrees.
Vintage Conditions:
A stunning vintage with near perfect conditions during flowering and fruit set. Good rainfall over winter built strong reserves of soil moisture, and the long cool growing season allowed for slow and evening ripening across key varieties. The 2021 vintage was one of the very rare years where we saw both quality and quantity of fruit.
Wine Analysis:
Alc/Vol: 11.5% | Acidity: 5.5g/L | pH: 3.56
Vineyard:
The Yarra Valley Pinot is a blend of fruit from grower vineyards and properties that we farm across both the upper Yarra and the Valley floor.
Winemaking
Fruit: Hand picked
Fermentation: 5% whole bunches, fermented in concrete and open top stainless
Time on skins: Average 18 days
Maturation: 9 months in concrete and small and large format oak
Yeast: Indigenous
Fining: None
Filtration: None
Bottled: 16th December 2021
Rieslings
‘Riesling and Strathbogie Ranges dance a new kind of tango. With the oldest vineyard in Strathbogie Ranges our prize, we get an amazing buzz working with this Riesling fruit.
Granite soils and stones create a laser-like focus and offer Riesling that looks so familiar but with a twist.’ Mac Forbes wines.
2021 Spring Riesling
On the Western face of the Strathbogie Ranges, surrounded by rolling hills and huge granite boulders, this vineyard sees long cool mornings and warm afternoon sun, producing fruit with a distinctly different profile from our original Riesling vineyard. Each season, we continue to learn more about the nuance and personality of this maturing site.
The most elegant Spring riesling to date, with notes of jasmine, pear drop, lemon balm and white peach. Subtle but intense, with tactile phenolic structure leading the way.
Vintage Condition:
The 2021 season in the Strathbogie Ranges was abundant, with practically flawless conditions during fruit set. A couple of significant rain events in late January/early February delayed ripening a little, while moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights throughout February and March allowed the grapes to retain impressive acids. A vintage characterised by structure with a wide spectrum of fruit expression across our picks.
Wine Analysis:
Alc/Vol: 12% | Acidity: 8.1g/L | pH: 3.14
Vineyard
Town: Avenel
Region: Strathbogie Ranges
Planted: 2005
Area: 8 Acres
Clone: Unknown
Aspect: North West
Soils: Decomposed granite with pink quartz
Altitude: 530m
Harvested: 5th & 10th March 2021
Winemaking
Fruit: De-stemmed and crushed before pressing
Maturation: Large and small old oak, stainless on fine lees
Yeast: Indigenous
Fining: None
Filtration: Sterile
Bottled: 17th August 2021
2021 RS5 Riesling
We have always been overwhelmed by the presence of our Caveat vineyard in the Strathbogie Ranges. A supposedly sealed road that wanders north from Yea climbing to the elevated granite soils that sit 600m above sea level. Generally 5 degrees cooler than the valley floor, this small vineyard is surrounded not by other vineyards but rather unforgiving grazing land.
Fruit from the third Riesling pick, this is pushing into the riper stone fruit spectrum with green mango and white peach characters. Good palate weight and firm structure, with hints of iodine and ginger drawing out the back palate.
Vintage Conditions:
The 2021 season in the Strathbogie Ranges was abundant, with practically flawless conditions during fruit set. A couple of significant rain events in late January/early February delayed ripening a little, while moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights throughout February and March allowed the grapes to retain impressive acids. A vintage characterised by structure with a wide spectrum of fruit expression across our picks.
Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol: 12.5% | Acidity: 6.5g/L | pH: 3.15
Vineyard
Town: Caveat
Region: Strathbogie Ranges
Planted: 1983
Area: 5 Acres
Clone: AV702352
Aspect: East
Soils: Granitic
Altitude: 600m
Harvested: 31st March 2021
Winemaking
Fruit: De-stemmed and crushed before pressing
Maturation: Stainless on fine lees
Yeast: Indigenous
Fining: None
Filtration: Sterile
Bottled: 17th August 2021
(Image: Mac Forbes)
EB Wines
‘Culturally, our EB wines have grown in importance over the years. For all staff to feel a responsibility to seek the unusual or to explore the unknown is powerful stuff. Every year we discuss wines, styles, vineyard quirks that sit outside of our core range.
We embrace what we don’t know or where we don’t feel comfortable and occasionally we get wines that we think are worth sharing. These wines are fun and a little daring. Our EB range is released in Summer each year.’ Mac Forbes wines.
2021 EB74 'After Midnight' Gamay
Gamay has long been a grape of interest and this is our first foray. Taking much from our learning and observations in Europe, we had originally intended to go hard with whole bunch and showcase the beautiful stalk tannins. Ultimately, the young vine fruit led the way, with its velvety so skins too delicate to handle much carbonic maceration. We put a small portion of whole bunch topped with destemmed fruit in one of our concrete vessels to preserve the seductive dark fruits, and our carbonic ferment was foot stomped 5 days in to ensure the health of the ferment, finishing up as a crunchy red fruited component. Lots of lessons in this experiment.
Tasting Note
Brilliantly alive in the glass with red/dark hues drawing in you to take a good sniff. The nose is wild and alive with perfume, darker red fruits and spice. This spice and velvety structure on the palate leaves both satisfaction and thirst. Dark fresh berries and rich spices successfully seduce the senses.
Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol: 11% | Acidity: 5.5g/L | pH: 3.62
Vineyard
Region: Tarrawarra, Yarra Valley
Harvested: By hand on 10th March 2021
Winemaking
Fruit: Young vine, 15% whole bunch in concrete & flowerpot fermenters
Maturation: Old small oak for five months
Yeast: Wild
Filtration: None
Bottled: 17th August 2021
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 24 March 2022
“Edgier expression with red cherry, white pepper, splashed of white balsamic lift and some brined green olive notes. Light on, a zing and zip to the wine, what’s here is easy appeal and fresh to drink. Lays in some gentle nutty savouriness too. Pretty compelling little drink.”
92 Points
2021 EB75 'Candy' Meunier
Aer countless experiments with Pinot Meunier we are still discovering nuance, and each season introduces new opportunities to explore our winemaking. This was the first year working with fruit from the Willowlake vineyard, and a wet winter and long, cool growing season produced a great volume of expressive fruit with depth of flavour. The increased volumes allowed us to try a number of different winemaking techniques, from precision hand destemming, to whole bunch, extended maceration and elevated temperature fermentation. The final wine is a blend of each of these techniques, all bringing a little something special to this EB.
Tasting Note
Pale pink buzzing with life. On the nose, this is fresh crushed sour red berries and herbs inviting you in for more. The nose dives into the palate with mouth watering delicious red fruits with mouth watering herbs and tannins. A bottle is never enough.
Wine Analysis
Alc/Vol: 10.5% | Acidity: 6.2g/L | pH: 3.44
Vineyard
Vineyard: Willowlake
Region: Gladysdale, Yarra Valley
Harvested: By hand on 27th February 2021
Winemaking
Fruit: Fermentation on skins in various vessels
Maturation: Small and large format old oak for five months
Yeast: Wild
Filtration: None
Bottled: 18th August 2021
(Image: Mac Forbes)